Update (11:50 a.m. Saturday): A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the person responsible for shooting a puppy in Laurel, according to the Suffolk County SPCA.

Roy Gross, the chief executive director for the SPCA, said the investigation is still active and the organization is currently following up on some leads. Anyone with information can contact the SPCA at (631) 382-7722. All calls are kept confidential, Mr. Gross said.

“We’re looking at a possible felony charge on this, due to the fact that the dog was shot and killed,” Mr. Gross said.

The puppy that was found on the side of a path in Laurel Thursday evening was an approximately 14-week-old female, mixed-breed Border Collie, Mr. Gross said.

A veterinarian for the SPCA will examine the dog to determine what kind of pellets the dog was shot with, Mr. Gross said.

-Joe Werkmeister

Original story: A puppy who was shot with pellets twice was discovered dead in a garbage bag on the side of a path in Laurel Thursday evening, a Southold Town Animal Shelter manager said.

The animal shelter is now looking for information about the puppy and who owned it.

Gabby Glantzman of the North Fork Animal Welfare league said the puppy was discovered by a man walking his dog in the Laurel Lake Preserve. The man’s dog located the bag near the path, she said.

The puppy was found in a shoebox inside the garbage bag and filled with sand, Ms. Glantzman said. The puppy’s body was recovered Friday by NFAWL, who took it to a local animal hospital.

The animal hospital determined that the dog had two pellets inside its body, she said. That seems to have ruled out that the puppy had died of natural causes, Ms. Glantzman said.

“It appears now that the puppy was shot, so it appears something happened here,” she said, adding that anyone with information about the dog’s death can contact NFAWL at (631) 765-1811 ext. 1.

A supervisor at the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.